The accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) within cells can result in oxidative damage that is associated with the etiology or maintenance of many disease states. Disease states associated with ROS include, for example, cancer, diabetes, atherosclerosis, heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, and Parkinson's disease. An elevated level of ROS has been theorized to play a role in the development cancer by accelerating oxidative DNA damage. Consistent with a role for ROS in promoting cancer cell proliferation, certain antioxidants have been shown to inhibit cancer cell proliferation in several systems.
Neurotensin (NT) is a regulatory peptide that binds high-affinity neurotensin receptors (NTR) expressed in a variety of cells. NT binding to NTR alters intracellular inositol phosphate (IP) levels.